Doctors In Telangana Lost Rs 30 Crores To Cyber Fraud

Hyderabad: With 735 doctors having been scammed of Rs 30 crore by cybercriminals since September 2024, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) held a high-level cyber awareness meeting with the medical fraternity here on Tuesday.

Speaking at the meeting, TGCSB Director Shikha Goel highlighted the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape and emphasised the need for greater vigilance among healthcare professionals.

“Cybercriminals today are targeting everyone, including healthcare professionals. Being highly educated or professionally accomplished does not make anyone immune to cyber fraud. Awareness, caution, and timely reporting remain our strongest defenses,” she said.

The interaction was aimed at strengthening collaboration with doctors, improve cyber awareness, and formulate preventive strategies against emerging digital threats. Around 72 representatives, including presidents, secretaries, treasurers, and senior office bearers of major medical associations across Telangana, participated in the session.

Officials revealed that since September 2024, at least 735 doctors in Telangana have fallen victim to cyber frauds, suffering cumulative losses of `29.88 crores. Among the fraud categories, business and investment scams caused the biggest financial damage, with 127 victims losing `22.39 crore.

Cases of digital arrest fraud, identity theft, impersonation fraud, and advertisement scams also accounted for substantial losses. Other crimes reported among doctors included job frauds, sextortion, insurance frauds, UPI scams, matrimonial frauds, and cryptocurrency-related cheating.

Officials stressed that educational qualifications or professional success do not guarantee immunity from cybercrime, warning that even highly qualified healthcare professionals are increasingly becoming soft targets for sophisticated scams. The bureau highlighted the importance of the 'golden hour' in cyber fraud cases, stating that immediate reporting through the 1930 cybercrime helpline and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal significantly improves the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions and recovering stolen funds.

Representatives from leading medical bodies, including associations of paediatricians, cardiologists, dentists, orthopaedic surgeons, gynaecologists, and hospitals, participated in the discussion and agreed to jointly spread cyber awareness through hospitals, clinics, conferences, and medical education programmes to strengthen digital safety among doctors.